Monday, February 04, 2008

BAVARIAN BEERHOUSE

This dark place so thrilling and new It's kind of like the opposite of an aerial view

Of course while Dos Hermanos were in munching in München we had forgotten that we had our own little piece of Bavaria not five minutes away from home in the shape of The Bavarian Beerhouse. I was catching up with a German ex-colleague of mine and he suggested we go there. I suspect this is the meeting place of choice for many Germans working in London. A place they can go and drink German beer, eat German food and have a good old moan about London’s high prices, dirty streets and crap public transport.

Located in a basement which used to be home to a Davy’s, a chain of City Wine Bars which specialised in a brew called Old Wallop served in Pewter Tankards (it always made me feel ill after drinking it). Now it doesn’t actually look much different except it’s a lot brighter and there are a few banners pinned up telling you where you are (the Bavarian Beerhouse dumpkopf !). The overall effect is much like my old University SU bar.

Similar atmos too. Instead of the relatively civilised experience of the Munich equivalent here it’s all loud and lairy and a bit uncouth. A typically British place then. The customers were mostly male (think more bad suits than in a busted flush) with a smattering of women all wearing that startled deer-caught-in-the-headlights look, wishing they were across the road in Fifteen. No you don’t, love.

Look a little bit closer though and all the elements of your typical Brauhaus are there: buxom German waitresses in dirndls; beer served in litre Maßkrüge; all manner of Schnitzels and Wurst and not forgetting the mighty Schweinshaxen which looked as frightening as it always does. There’s even the totally pointless Apfelstrudel (does anyone ever manage to eat pud in a Bavarian beer house ?).

Obviously we had to go for Schnitzel. Both my Wiener and my Prussian chum’s Jäger (which came with a rather gloopy-looking mushroom sauce) were massive. They were ok. They were bloody hard work. The large piles of pommes frites would have been better if the cooking oil had been changed recently. The side salads were unnecessary and remained untouched. If you’re going to be drinking large quantities of German beer then this food is probably the perfect match.

Still, if you get into the spirit of things (I can’t – it’s genetic) then I suppose you could have a fun time here. It’s not the ideal spot, say, for a date but would make a fine place to dump someone – any sobbing would be drowned out by the shouting and music. Even better come here when Germany play Austria in Euro 2008 and you can watch the two sets of supporters have a fight over whose Schnitzel is best. Prost !

From a food perspective what I ate was pretty ropey and the prices are about 1.34 times what they are in Germany. However the beer is good, the service was ok and there was a lively if raucous atmosphere which some people might like. I don't but then I am quite curmudgeonly.

This place is at its best during big events, like the football, or their Oktoberfest celebrations, when people get dressed up, dance on tables, drink too much beer and don't realy care what the food tastes like as long as it soaks up the booze. (If you like that kind of thing, which I sometimes do.) Otherwise, when less busy, it feels quite dismal.

I love the dumping idea though. You could even do it on Valentine's day, when -- according to their website -- they are offering a special romantic menu for £15!

What The Papers Say

"If sites were shops egullet would be Selfridges, a massive department store trying to cater to all tastes. Sometimes, though, I want a boutique operation. Top of these is Dos Hermanos, the blog of the two half-Bengali half-Welsh Majumdar brothers, who eat out more than is strictly necessary and write very well about it." Jay Rayner (Guardian)

Our fans speak

"these guys are the don daddas of London eating blogging" viktorvaughn

"Simon M and his bro. have got to be the rock gods of the UK food blog" Harters

"What a pair of idiots you two are - who asked your opinion and for your tedious website to appear when i googled this restaurant!" Galloping Gourmet

"Two guys who write reviews about mostly London restaurants. They are a bit up their own arses but an interesting read anyways" Anonymous